Saudi Comic Con Impresses Jeddah – Day 1

The event, a first of its kind in the Kingdom, left visitors buzzing with excitement.

Today saw the first day of the very first Saudi Comic Con, a much-anticipated event that enticed its online audience with grandiose promises.

So, of course, we had to check it out for ourselves!

And, should you decide to do that too, here’s a free piece of advice: prepare to get overwhelmed (in every possible positive meaning of the word).

This Comic Con truly does deliver on the promise of being unique. People in full Rick and Morty cosplay mingle seamlessly with those clad in traditional thobes. On the left, just after Tokyo Games booth introducing VR video game trials and another one highlighting Na3am’s efforts to revolutionize the video gaming industry, is a BMW car that morphs into a transformer-style robot (Letrons Robot) every hour. This is, naturally, followed by a duel between Loki and Thor, culminating in a push to view the entire grounds with a stroll through the Art Walk and Star Wars Gallery, and punctuating the experience with a feast courtesy of the plentiful food trucks.

There’s no room for boredom.

The panel discussions fail to disappoint: a stellar lineup saw one stage entertaining a workshop on plot development, a panel of producers and directors, and a two-hour-long chat with world-renown actors Charles Dance and Julian Glover. A short chat with the two revealed their own excitement at the event “I have been to many comic cons all around the world this one is particularly notable for the enthusiasm of the public. Because it’s your first. Charlie and I were both saying that’s it’s a great honor to be in the first and we hope we will come to more. And I think this has already proved that it’s worthwhile doing.” Julian Glover (the voice of “Aragog from Harry Potter” and “Grand Maester Pycelle”)”

And, after spending all seven hours of the first day of the convention poking around what it has to offer, we can confidently say that it delivered!